MEAT BIRDS THREAD ~Plans, pics, pens, pluckers, processing! GRAPHIC!

[Beekissed]

I was just reading an article the other day on the net about some kind of green meat disorder near the CX breast cartilage and they say that it is caused by too much wing flapping..... :/ Really...that's what it said. Let me see if I can find it again...

GREEN MUSCLE DISEASE
Also called Deep Pectoral Myopathy, which is the necrosis of the Pectoralis Minor (tender) muscle of poultry. Necrotic tenders appear yellowish-green in color.

Green Muscle Disease results from vigorous activity of both major and minor pectoralis muscles, but only the tenders are afflicted. Compared to other muscles, the tenders have a more rigid muscle cover and are confined to a tight space within the body such that they can't expand to accommodate this increased blood flow. The net result of the muscle being confined and compressed is self strangulation, suffocation and eventually necrosis.

Increased broiler activity induced by such factors as feed or water outages, lighting programs, catching and live haul, and even excessive noise, may result in an increased incidence of Green Muscle Disease.

Now...knowing what I do about muscle and the fascia overlying them, I'd say that birds who have started out developing these muscles in the early stages, like yours, are in no more danger than the DP birds who "flap their wings too much" because yours have developed those muscles, thus thinning and making more supple the fascia encasing that particular muscle group. I would say the only danger of this would be in chickens that have had very little activity while growing but have had a reason to later exercise these muscles and they were too underdeveloped and the fascia too thick and taut to provide good movement and thus the resulting swelling.

The one story I read about it the person said that her meaties had been chased by a dog some days prior to processing and she had 4-5 with this green tissue inside the breast meat. I would say that this would be a huge and horrible thing to buy some meat off someone and open it to find green and rotten flesh next to the bone. Probably why commercial growers don't provide any space for "flapping" or excess movement by their birds?

Mine didn't do any excess wing flapping except when they were young like your birds and it was the only way they could really get up some speed when they ran to keep up with the rest of my layer flock....they would flap as they ran. No green breasts on mine either. I think it's amazing that yours are actually flying, Snow!

 

[Beekissed]

CX chicks comin' tomorrow, comin' tomorrow, comin' tomorrow! (Picture me doin' the funky chicken celebration dance!) :bun :bun :bun :bun :bun

 

[Buster]

FYI, my meaties finally arrived today.

125 Cornish Rock Cross, hatched yesterday. Last night I got my first pre-order for 15 birds at $3.00 a pound. That paid for the birds, shipment, and first couple of weeks a feed, I reckon.

We have a table plucker, but have decided to go with the real deal and order a Featherman in about 3 weeks. I don't mind skinning for my table, but want a good clean pluck if I am selling them. Farmers market starts up in 3 weeks and we'll take orders there.

I'll post pics later.

 

[Buster]

How long do they usually stay in a brooder? I'm thinking these guys will be too big and ready to get out in 3 maybe 4 weeks. Is that about right in your experiences?

I'm putting mine on pasture at 3 weeks in a Salatin style broiler pen.

 

[Beekissed]

FYI, my meaties finally arrived today.

125 Cornish Rock Cross, hatched yesterday. Last night I got my first pre-order for 15 birds at $3.00 a pound. That paid for the birds, shipment, and first couple of weeks a feed, I reckon.

We have a table plucker, but have decided to go with the real deal and order a Featherman in about 3 weeks. I don't mind skinning for my table, but want a good clean pluck if I am selling them. Farmers market starts up in 3 weeks and we'll take orders there.

I'll post pics later.

Yes! Please do! Feels good to have already made back your initial investment, doesn't it? For the first couple of weeks you'll be raising the birds for free.

I've already had an order from a family member for 10 of mine, but I'm only charging her $5 a bird because she is family and she is going to come down and learn how to process by helping me butcher out her birds. As it is, her $50 paid for most of my chick order of $60, so I'm not too displeased. If my processing workshop is well attended in June I will make back all my investment in coop materials, feed and more, so I'll be eating free meats this year.

I've also had an offer of barter grass fed Angus pound for pound in exchange for any birds I want to let go of...I think we'll do an exchange of 4-5 birds(I've only ordered 50...if I had known this many people would be wanting them, I'd have ordered more!). We don't eat much red meat(other than deer) and that much will last us quite a long time.

 

[doc_gonzo]

bk,

was curious, what material was it that you used to close in that coop, it kinda looks like plastic mesh??...

doc

 

[Beekissed]

Yes, it was...and before you warn me that it won't keep a predator out, I don't have to worry about preds due to having the good LGD that I have plus the whole coop will be inside of electric poultry fencing. If at any time in the future I don't have this good dog to guard against all the nasties or the fencing fails, we can always change over to a more preventative wire.

We were going to use the 1x1 woven wire but the plastic mesh was cheaper~and lighter weight~ and was all that is needed to keep the chickens inside the coop when we want to confine them for any reason. It will also keep the hooties from flying into the coop of an evening and snatching a bird off the roost.

Now..if I didn't live where I live and have what I have to keep these birds safe, I'd do what everyone does and use the hardware cloth at the base, place a wire flooring in the whole coop and finish off with the 1x1 welded wire everywhere the hardware cloth wasn't already applied.


Good news!!!!!! I got my order from Central Hatchery today and all the chicks~ordered 50 but got 54, two of which look to be RIR cockerels~and all are thriving and active. They immediately taught themselves to use the nipple waterer, started in eating the buttermilk/chick starter mash and most are now drunk with food and sleep and snuggled under the lamp while some are out in the "cool area" trying to eat some BOSS that I put there for entertainment and forage training.

Jake was intrigued and very jealous of the chicks and tried to crawl in my lap because I was paying more attention to the chicks instead of to him...he's quite the funny dog!
Right now he is lying beside the brooder, standing guard, and every once in awhile he stands up to listen to their peeps and then goes back to watching.

 

[Beekissed]

Pics of the chicks:

 

[the funny farm6]

Awwwwwwwww. Got to love baby chicks.

 

[Beekissed]

A little update on the CX chicks: Their first day I fed starter in buttermilk and they ate it but it was a terrible mess on them and in the brooder and it got a hard cap on it as the starter soaked up the buttermilk. Scratch that experiment.

Today I placed their buttermilk in a nipple waterer (they also have water with UP/ACV) and gave some dry starter. They ate it per normal. Later on in the day I gave more dry starter and placed fermented/wet starter right next to it. They climbed over the dry to get to the fermented feed and swarmed it like piranhas! They were pushing and shoving to get the FF and were ignoring the dry starter!

They are STILL chumming on the FF and the dry starter gets pecked at by the occasional chick. They are drinking the buttermilk as much as the water, it seems, and are all very active and bright. Poops are already starting to look like normal chick poops and I will monitor this progress.

We had fun with earthworms today and it was quite a rodeo! Got their exercise, got their beer food, got some fresh meat...they should be ready to hit the hay and saw some logs tonight!

Oh...and they are learning to use the roost! Funniest thing ever to see a young chick trying to sleep on a roost and sliding off, waking up, shaking his little head, doze off, lean forward and almost tip off the roost and wake himself up and reposition......funny stuff!